January 23, 2013

Posted Wednesday, January 23, 2013, at 5:00 PM

Late last week members were sworn in and we finalized our list of membership to the various House Committees. I am honored to have been selected by the Speaker of the House to serve on the House Committee on Agri-business, as Vice Chair, the House Committee on Workforce Safety and Workforce Development, and the House Committee on Downsizing State Government. Before I continue discussing the details of the committees I have been selected to serve on, I wanted to give you a brief description of the committee process and its importance in passing legislation.

In Article III, Section 22, of the Missouri Constitution it talks about the referral of bills to committees in which it states, "Every bill shall be referred to a committee of the house in which it is pending." This means once a House Bill passes through the committee process and is Third Read and Passed by a vote on the floor of the Missouri House of Representatives, it still needs to be sent to the Senate for consideration and, constitutionally, must go through the committee process again in the Senate. The same process occurs for Senate Bills sent to the House of Representatives.

Serving on committees gives us the opportunity and, more importantly, the responsibility to truly dig deep into the substantive issues surrounding how proposed bills will affect life here in Missouri. This process also provides the avenue for public testimony in favor of, or against, proposed legislation. It is a remarkable process giving us the best possible legislation to ensure proper governance of the State of Missouri.

As we enter what health professionals traditionally dub "peak flu season" I want to urge you to know the signs of the flu and take the proper measures to protect yourself and your family. Symptoms of the flu are similar to the common cold, but tend to be more severe. Signs of the flu include; fever, body aches, tiredness and cough. Your health care provider can administer a test to determine if you have the flu or not. According to the CDC Influenza has spread to more than 80% of the United States and they are advising everyone who has not been vaccinated to do so now. WHACK the Flu is a community based flu prevention program from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. The acronym WHACK is simple:

W--Wash your hands often

H--Home is where you stay when you are sick

A--Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth

C--Cover your coughs and sneezes

K--Keep your distance from people who are coughing and sneezing

For more information on flu prevention and vaccination, visit www.flu.gov .

As always, it is an honor to serve you in the Missouri House. If you would like to discuss any issue, please call 573-751-3629. You can also email me at Kent.Hampton@house.mo.gov. I look forward to hearing from you.